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The Accountants’ Success Secrets podcast showcases and celebrates successful accountants who are doing good things, have years of experience and whose stories can inspire and encourage other accountants around the UK.
96 Episodes
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Welcome to episode 97 of Accountants' Success Secrets, where Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes chat with inspiring practitioners about what makes a thriving accountancy firm. This week, we’re joined by Dan Heelan, founder of Heelan Associates, who shares his journey from retail management (and a childhood aversion to accountancy!) to leading a team of 40 and growing a hugely successful practice in Hampshire. Dan reveals everything from his early days working in his mum’s conservatory, to lessons l...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, your hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Joanne Bell, Managing Director of Bells Accountants in Kent. From accidentally falling into the world of accountancy to leading a thriving, multi-office practice with around 30 staff and winning top industry accolades, Jo shares her inspiring journey. You'll hear how Jo started out just trying to make ends meet during the 2008 housing crash, and how an early mentor help...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we dive into the real stories and reflections behind successful accountancy practices in the UK. In this special February Reflections edition, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee look back at the lessons learned and lightbulb moments shared by recent guests. From Jonathan Vowles' honest admission that he once focused on being the "cheapest accountant in the world" (and how that shaped his brand and business approach), to Paul Re...
Fifteen years ago, Tej Gewara made the leap from a career in industry to open his own accountancy practice. Now, as owner of TaxAssist Accountants in Leicester East and Nottingham, with a team of 12, Tej shares what it's really like to build a thriving business from scratch. In this 30-minute episode, Tej talks candidly about: 🔹 Why he chose the franchise route—and the realities of leveraging a well-known brand 🔹 The lessons learned from managing a growing team, making local acquisitions, and...
Welcome to another episode of Accountant Success Secrets! This week, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Dave Sellick, the visionary behind Sidgrove, a purpose-led accounting practice and finance consultancy. Dave shares his journey from a tough start at PwC—right as Lehman Brothers crashed, no less—through years of soul-searching in founder-led businesses, all the way to creating his own innovative, one-man firm. Tune in as we explore how Dave’s passion for creativity, technology, and...
Welcome to Episode 92 of the Accountants' Success Secrets podcast! This week, your hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Paul Reid, founder of Empower Accountancy in Cambridge, for a conversation full of wisdom, wit, and inspiration. Paul shares his unusual journey—after selling his first practice almost ten years ago, he ventured into running a family insurance business before recently returning to accountancy. In this episode, you'll discover how Paul's experience across industri...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we delve into the personal journeys of accountants who have truly made their mark. This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes introduce us to Jonathan Vowles, founder of JVCA in Cranfield, near Cambridge—a man who started his accountancy practice last century from a cupboard under the stairs (yes, just like Harry Potter). Jonathan brings honesty, humour, and decades of experience, sharing both the triumphs and his “idiotic” ...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee are celebrating a milestone—it's the 90th edition of the podcast, and they're serving up one of their signature reflections episodes. If you're an accountant or bookkeeper looking for real, practical insights you can use, you're in the right place. Philippa and Mark take a look back at the last four guest interviews, distilling the best lessons, biggest surprises, and honest advice from p...
Welcome to episode 89 of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by Sam Draper, founder of The Small Business Accountant in Tufnell Park, London. Sam started his practice right at the height of lockdown in 2020, juggling a tiny baby at home and a big leap from industry into practice. In this episode, Sam shares how his background as a financial controller shaped his approach to working with small creative businesses, and why self-awareness and finding ...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we dive into the journeys of accountants who are making a real impact in the profession. This week, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee are joined by the award-winning Debbie Warburton, who leads GW Accountants and Business Advisors in Penryn, Cornwall. After starting her career at just 17, Debbie Warburton has worked her way up from practice manager to firm owner—guiding her team and clients through everything from partnership ...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Chris Maslin, founder of Maslins Ltd, for an inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss. Chris shares the journey of starting his own practice in his mid-20s, after working in larger firms and always asking, “Why do we do it this way?” From knocking on doors to land his first clients, to embracing online accounting platforms like FreeAgent early on, Chris explains how he ...
Welcome back to Accountants' Success Secrets! In this week's episode, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by the award-winning Rachel Chadwick-Harrison, founder of Chadwick Accountants and Bookkeepers in Bidford on Avon. With a background that spans financial services and rapid-growth businesses, Rachel shares how she built her thriving firm – starting from the humble beginnings of part-time bookkeeping and evolving into a team of sixteen. She reveals why she left the toxic cultures of th...
Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! In this special Reflections Edition, Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee take a look back at the standout moments from some of their most recent interviews. Together, they chat openly about what resonated with them—both personally and professionally—drawing lessons from the journeys of inspiring accountants and bookkeepers. This episode dives into the real reasons practitioners start and build their firms, with stories of clarity, resilienc...
This week’s episode features Kasia Machalinski, the multi-award-winning founder of Prevail Accountancy in Rochdale. Kasia’s journey is both inspiring and refreshing—moving to the UK from Poland with a master’s in economics, she’s become a CIMA-qualified accountant with a knack for supporting construction SMEs. Her specialist know-how in project costing and business planning is matched only by her passion for climbing actual mountains in her spare time! Joining co-hosts Philippa Haynes and Mar...
Emma Willder founded Beyond Profit Ltd and built a thriving accountancy practice focused on the charity sector - with her family at the heart of the team. In this 30 minute episode, Emma shares her story, including the shift from a corporate financial career to finding purpose and balance by helping charities make a difference. As you listen to this episode, you'll... 🔹 Discover how Emma grew her practice by supporting grant-giving charities and offering a fully outsourced finance funct...
In this 30-minute reflections episode, Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee revisit inspiring interviews with Richard Wilson Artus (MWA Accounting), Stuart Harris (the Friendly Accountant), Penny Allard (Her Wild Bookkeeping), and Nicky Gentle (Thrive Bookkeeping). As you listen, you’ll... 🔹 Discover how Richard Wilson Artus navigated losing 85% of his hospitality clients during COVID and why having “bread and butter” clients as a safety net matters. 🔹 Hear Stuart Harris’s secrets to genuine ne...
This week’s Accountants’ Success Secrets episode features Nicky Gentle, founder of Thrive Bookkeeping in Devizes, Wiltshire. Nikki’s journey is anything but typical. Originally aiming for Olympic stardom in equestrian sport, Nicky’s career path took unexpected turns through health challenges and corporate life, before she found her calling in bookkeeping. Her story speaks to the resilience and adaptability accountants need when building a practice from scratch. Now AAT-licensed and with clien...
This week’s episode welcomes Stuart Harris, the man behind Stuart Harris Associates and known to many as “the Friendly Accountant”. With 30 years in the profession, Stuart’s story moves from a South London family firm, through specialist partnerships, all the way to building his own practice in North London. Now, with a small but tight-knit team, Stuart supports clients on everything from emigration tax and trusts to charity and solicitor accounts—always leaning on his own experience as a sm...
Richard Wilson-Artus started MWA Accounting in Manchester city centre back in 2014, and has grown a thriving practice with a focus on e-commerce, food & drink, content creators, and property businesses. In this 30-minute episode, Richard shares how he went from redundancy to building a successful ACCA-regulated firm with a small but dedicated team. As you listen to this episode, you’ll... 🔹 Discover Richard’s journey from a corporate role to entrepreneurship, including the challenges of f...
🚀 Reflections from the Latest Accountants’ Success Secrets Podcast! 🚀 In this special Reflections episode, co-hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes take a lively look back at insights from four recent interviews with standout accountants and bookkeepers. Together, they unpack memorable lessons from Steph Beeston Clark, Simon Mason, Andrew Coombs, and Arun Mehra, drawing out stories of grit, growth, and the odd marketing mishap. Philippa and Mark discuss everything from embracing failure and ment...
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